Reading Housing Authority roundtable hears of impact of housing vouchers

Oct. 6—Without a federal voucher to help pay his rent, David Butler might have gone homeless and would not be on his current path, preparing to graduate with honors in December from Reading Area Community College.

The Reading man, now 32, was still in high school when his mother's diabetes progressed to the point that she was unable to care for herself.

"I quit high school to care for my mother," he said, "and I took care of her until she passed in 2015."

Butler had been working at a low-paying job to help support the family of two, but his lack of education was a barrier to higher-paid employment. And without his mother's Social Security disability income, it was a struggle to make ends meet and pay the rent on his own.

The specter of homelessness loomed large, and Butler held little hope for a better future.

"At the time, I really had no educational background," he said, "and I was lost."

But a caseworker helped him apply for the federal government's housing voucher program, administered locally by the Reading Housing Authority.

The program enables low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities to afford decent and safe housing by using vouchers to pay for a portion of their rent in the private market.

"Now, my GPA is 3.8, I am graduating with honors and I am doing well," Butler said, "So I would say it (the voucher program) helped me."

Butler shared his success story Wednesday at a roundtable on housing relief and assistance at the Reading Housing Authority's Willis Center for Administration, 400 Hancock Blvd.

The program

Before the discussion got underway, Matthew Heckles, regional administrator of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Mid-Atlantic region, announced HUD's award of more than 19,000 new housing choice vouchers. Of these, 1,477 incremental vouchers with an estimated value over $16 million have been targeted for the region that includes Reading.

The vouchers will be directed to areas where there is demonstrated need among extremely low-income and very low-income renter households in rural and urban areas.

The authority's voucher programs currently assist nearly 900 households in Reading, including military veterans and those who received special vouchers released during the pandemic for emergency shelter for those who are homeless and have a disability.

Heckles commended the authority for its work, particularly its teamwork with landlords and groups providing supportive services.

"My job is to come out to different cities around the region and make sure that we are communicating with you what is important to us," Heckles said, introducing himself to the panel, "but also hearing from you the challenges that you face and the way that you are solving those challenges."

The forum's panel consisted of program participants, landlords and representatives of stakeholder agencies, such as Opportunity House, the Hispanic Center, Berks Coalition to End Homelessness and Our City Reading.

The housing authority's administrators wanted to do more than share what they know, said Stacey Keppen, authority executive director. Instead, she said, they wanted to learn from those who are directly affected.

"The people whose lives are touched most directly by the voucher program are not those of us who work here," she said. "It's those of us who receive housing assistance, landlords that work within the programs, and it's the various agencies and support services and legislators who are integral to making this work and experiencing the benefits of it."

Increasing need

The lack of affordable housing has long been a big challenge, said Modesto Fiume, executive director of Opportunity House, a shelter at 430 N. Second St.

And since the Supreme Court ruled on Aug. 26 to end the temporary stay on the federal eviction moratorium, cases of homelessness are increasing, he said.

But the best way to prevent or to move people out of homelessness is not to build more shelters, Fiume said. It's providing resources, such as vouchers, that can help get people into safe housing.

For voucher programs to be successful, landlords need to educated, said Jonathan Strauss of Cortex Residential.

The privately owned, Lehigh Valley-based investment firm specializes in the acquisition, development and management of rental apartments, including some in Reading.

"We're obviously dealing with a vulnerable population that needs housing and quickly," Strauss said. "A lot of landlords might have preconceived notions around that program. For us, you know, we see a plus because you get to work directly with the resident, and we get to work directly with the housing authority."

Cortex acquired a large community of rentals in downtown Reading that had high levels of vacancy and tenant turnover, he said.

The program helped Cortex achieve stability within that community, he said.

Ways to improve

Panelists, including program participants, also offered suggestions on how the program and its delivery might be improved.

Butler was full of ideas.

The application process can be confusing, unwieldly and inconvenient, he said, suggesting a one-stop cross-agency computer kiosk that could be available in multiple agencies, such as the local Social Security or veterans administrations. Such a kiosk could provide access to applications for various assistance programs, he said.

"The current system is outdated and needs to be revamped," Butler said, suggesting a mobile application that could be used by participants to communicate with the housing authority and apply for vouchers and other programs.

An app would make the program more accessible to a society conversant in mobile technology, he said.

Butler also said he hopes by sharing his story, he will encourage others in need to reach out for help.

"I see a lot of people who go through the things I went through," he said.

More information

For more information, call the Reading Housing Authority at 610-775-4813.